if i was the government, i would not solve this quickly. i would wait until the very end of the year, if possible. why? because people are selling their stocks and they are taking all extra dividends now, meaning in the first quarter, tax payments to the government will be enormous. gerri: apparently, that's what they want down there in washington. it's worth noting, though, that if you're retired, and you're living on dividend payouts, you're going to see a 43% 4% tax hit. >> yeah. gerri: that's monster. change your strategy at this point if you're in that category? i define one narrowly there. >> yeah, you know, that's a really tough and important question, and it's hard to answer because we don't know, yet, how it's going to really play out, and if they do rais taxes to that degree, then it's possible a lot of companies will lower their dividends or reduce the increases because it's not an efficient use of their capital. gerri: all right. >> it's a difficult question. gerri: all right. we'll let you duck that one, but next time, no ducki